Saying Good-bye to Daisy

 Wounds of the heart are never easy to bear, no matter who or what causes them.

Last month, we suffered the loss of our sweet border collie, Daisy, who has been our companion, protector, playmate, and fellow adventurer for the last 14 years. I know that losing a pet pales in comparison to losing a person. But there’s no denying that Daisy was intertwined around our hearts. She grew up with our kids, and her escapades often mirrored theirs. Since Amber and Jesse have been on their own for a few years now, the house seems especially empty without Daisy to fill it up.

Amber’s heartfelt words capture some of her emotions as she tried to juxtapose two events that happened on the same day: her husband’s graduation from seminary and Daisy’s death. She captures an important truth that I think we all need to remember as we celebrate life with those we love:

Andrew’s graduation from seminary is tonight, which is so exciting. At the same time, my heart is full of mourning for my beloved puppy of 14 years who just passed away. While it’s so hard to reconcile these two emotions, I know that Daisy would want me to be happy and celebrate with Andrew. If she were here, she would be chasing her tail in joy right now.

Daisy has always been a dog of celebration. Especially of the smallest things, like walks, and ice cream, and pond swimming. But maybe Daisy had it right. Let’s celebrate the small joys that we do as a family. Let’s celebrate family moments and togetherness. Let’s celebrate each other. Even the smallest things can turn into tail-chasing adventures if they’re done with the people we love. In the end, those are the best things. And I’m so thankful that I got to have many tail-chasing adventures with my sweet puppy, Daisy May.

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I think Amber and Daisy are right. The small joys that God gives us in life often turn out to be the biggest blessings of all.

Daisy joyfully greeting her kids home for Christmas!

The day Amber moved out.